Universal Studios Facing Massive Lawsuit After Gru Allegedly 'Flashes White Power Sign'
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Universal Studios has been hit with a $30,000 lawsuit after a person dressed in a Despicable Me costume was accused of 'flashing the white power sign'.
The 'OK' hand sign was added to the list of hate symbols in 2017 after online message boards started a fake campaign linking it to the alt-right.
While it started out as a joke and wasn't actually linked, it was picked up by many who used to show their solidarity with white supremacy.
That brings us to two photos showing Gru at the theme park with biracial children and the unmistakable hand sign being 'flashed'.
The incidents took place in February and March 2019 at Universal Orlando and a lawsuit was filed late last month in Orange County, according to the Daily Mail.
Tiffiney Zinger, her two children and her husband Richard, visited the park during the March incident and she was shocked when she looked closer at the photos.
She told USA Today: "We just wanted to take them to see the minions. Do something special for our family and this person ruined that special warm feeling."
When she confronted the park about the issue, they launched an investigation and have since fired the actor who wore the Gru costume.
A spokesperson revealed in a statement: "We never want our guests to experience what this family did.
"This is not acceptable and we are sorry - and we are taking steps to make sure nothing like this happens again. We can't discuss specifics about this incident, but we can confirm that the actor no longer works here.
"We remain in contact with the family and will work with them privately to make this right."
Fast forward two years, the family has launched a lawsuit against the theme park and is now seeking damages.
They want compensation on the grounds of the young girl suffering 'mental anguish, loss of dignity, loss of innocence, emotional distress, humiliation, embarrassment, and loss of enjoyment of life'
The legal challenge states: "He openly and pointedly displayed towards them a universally-known and universally-used hate symbol that indicates white power.
"This white power hand signal has become openly and widely used to express hatred towards a segment of the population-based upon a person's race, color and national origin, and it has prevalently and commonly been known as a hate symbol for years."
They have also accused the park of violating the Florida Civil Rights Act of 1992.
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